Dictionary

Pharisee en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɛɹɪsi/ (General-American)
• /ˈfɛɹɪsiː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Latin Pharisaeus, from Ancient Greek Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos), a transliteration of Aramaic פְּרִישַׁיָּא (pərîšayyâ’), emphatic plural of פְּרִישׁ (pərîš, “separatist”, literally “separated”), related to Hebrew פרוש (parush), qal passive participle of the verb פָּרַשׁ (pāraš), meaning one who is separated for a life of purity.

Meanings

1. (historical) A member of an ancient Jewish political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 B.C.E.–70 C.E.). The movement was ultimately the basis for most contemporary forms of Judaism.
   • I cannot tell. They [Jews]are always doing it. The Pharisees, for instance, say that there are angels, and the Sadducees declare that angels do not exist. 1904, Oscar Wilde, Salomé:
   • Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC:
2. (broadly, derogatory, figuratively) A person who values the letter of the law over its spirit or intention.
   • He was, and is yet most likely, the wearisomest self-righteous Pharisee that ever ransacked a Bible to rake the promises to himself and fling the curses to his neighbours. 1847 December, Ellis Bell [pseudonym; Emily Brontë], “chapter III”, in Wuthering Heights: […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Thomas Cautley Newby, […], →OCLC:
   • The spider fattens himself on flies, and the Pharisee has his reward. Foolish persons are easily entrapped by the loud professions of pretenders, and even the more judicious cannot always escape. c. 1870, Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening:
   • The Pharisees of the bourgeoisie love the saying: de mortuis aut bene aut nihil (speak none ill of the dead). The proletariat needs the truth both about living politicians and about the dead for those who truly merit the name of politician do not die for politics when their physical demise comes. 1989 July 6 [1988 October], Dmitriy Volkogonov, “Triumph and Tragedy: A Portrait of I.V. Stalin”, in JPRS Report: Soviet Union, number 043, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Moscow, Oktyabr, No 10, translation of original in Russian, →OCLC, page 1, column 1:

Forms

Coordinates

Essene · Sadducee

Deriveds

pharisaical · pharisaicalness · Pharisaic · Pharisee-like · Phariseeism · pharisaic · pharisaism · Pharisaism · pharisaically

Translations (62)

eo fariseo (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · fr pharisien (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · pt fariseu (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ms Farisi (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · luy omfarisayo (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · pdt Farisäa (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · aii ܦܪܝܼܫܵܐ (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · fi fariseus (person who values form over content) · ar فَرِّيسِيّ (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ro fariseu (person who values form over content) · chr ᎠᏉᎵᏏ (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · cmn 法利賽人 /法利赛人 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · lt fariziẽjus (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · mk фарисеј (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · fi farisealainen (person who values form over content) · ja パリサイ人 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ru фарисе́й (person who values form over content) · pl faryzeusz (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · da farisæer (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · de Pharisäer (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · chr ᎠᏆᎵᏏ (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · vo hifarisetan (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · nl farizeeër (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · got 𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐌿𐍃 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · syc ܦܪܝܫܐ (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · hy փարիսեցի (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · kl farisiiari (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · xag 𐕢𐔰𐕙𐔼𐕚𐔰 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · la Pharī̆saeus (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · sw farisayo (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · el Φαρισαίος (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ja ファリサイ派 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · hu farizeus (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · kk парызшыл (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ht farizyen (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · el Φαρισαίος (person who values form over content) · ru фарисе́й (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ga Fairisíneach (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · vo jifarisetan (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · vo farisetan (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · ca fariseu (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · yue 法利賽人 /法利赛人 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · de Pharisäerin (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · hi फ़रीसी (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · bg фарисей (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · fo fariseari (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · sv farisé (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · pt fariseu (person who values form over content) · he פָּרוּשׁ (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · grc Φαρισαῖος (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · id farisi (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · is farísei (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · it fariseo (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · fi fariseus (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · es fariseo (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · mi Parihī (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · pl faryzeusz (person who values form over content) · tl Pariseo (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · cmn 法利塞人 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · yue 法利塞人 (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc) · hy փարիսեցի (person who values form over content) · ro fariseu (member of an ancient Jewish political party, social movement, etc)